IN SHORT: Several Facebook users have posted a video of controversial former US president Donald Trump criticising Nigerians. But the video was created using an AI tool called Parrot AI and the quote is not real.
Several Facebook users have posted a video of Donald Trump, the former US president who is running for reelection in 2024, criticising Nigerians.
In the video Trump appears to say: "You Nigerian are so ridiculous. Tinubu's been in office barely 10 months, working his tail off, and all you people do is whine and whine and whine. You're lucky it's not me that’s your president. I’ll have the whole bunch of you locked up in prison.”
In one post from 7 March the Facebook user added this comment: “President Tinubu, we appreciate you for not being like Donald Trump. Asiwaju, continue your work. We will not rant and whine again.”
Trump served as the 45th president of the US from January 2017 to January 2021. His presidency was controversial, and the former businessman is known to be outspoken.
Nigerians are struggling with inflation, which stood at 31.7 % in March 2024. Consumers’ purchasing power has declined, meaning they can afford fewer goods and services.
As a result, Nigerians have lamented the state of the economy, with protests breaking out in some parts of the country. President Bola Tinubu took office in May 2023.
The video of Trump can be found here, here, here, here, here and here. The video was also posted on X (formerly Twitter), where it has been viewed over 85,000 times.
But did Trump really make this statement about Nigerians? We checked.
Video created with AI tool
When viewing the video, Trump’s mouth movements seem unnatural. This is a red flag that an artificial intelligence tool has been used to create it.
In the top left corner of the video is text reading “made with TryParrotAI.com”.
The website Parrot AI is a voice cloning tool or generator, with pricing starting at US$7 for a week’s access. You can get a wide range of popular celebrities, including presidents, to say anything you want and then share the video clips on social media. This is likely how the video of Trump criticising Nigerians was made.
Trump is in the running for the US presidency in November 2024 elections. There have been no media reports of him making such a statement in the media, which would have been the case if it were true.
Such videos, created using widely available AI tools, can be deliberate attempts to mislead the public. Fact-checking them helps inform the public of what is true or false.
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